Biomarker Detection in the Wastewater Phantom

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Biotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Wastewater surveillance is emerging as a key tool for public health monitoring.
• It provides non-invasive community-level insights into immune responses and disease prevalence.
• Developing accurate and rapid detection methods is crucial for effective wastewater-based epidemiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize an optical wastewater phantom for biomarker detection.
• To compare the phantom's performance with real wastewater samples.
• To demonstrate the selective detection of specific biomarkers, such as SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG).

Main Methods:

• Fabrication and characterization of an optical wastewater phantom.
• Utilized Raman spectroscopy to analyze molecular composition.
• Employed a refractometer to measure refractive index changes with temperature.
• Developed a fiber-optic probe with surface modification for selective biomarker capture.

Main Results:

• The optical wastewater phantom was successfully fabricated and characterized.
• Raman spectroscopy and refractometry were employed to analyze phantom and real wastewater samples.
• Selective detection of SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) was achieved.
• A low concentration of IgG (10^-6 mg/mL) was detected in the phantom within 5 minutes.

Conclusions:

• The developed optical wastewater phantom is a viable tool for simulating real wastewater environments.
• The selective fiber-optic probe enables sensitive and rapid detection of specific biomarkers.
• This technology holds promise for advancing wastewater-based public health surveillance and disease monitoring.